I'm looking at getting a GPS, basically just for my own amusement with gradients etc and having a go at strava times. So i'm after something that has no frills, just a GPS that will allow me to know after a ride, you went here, this hill was xx big, this hill was xx gradient (heck something like the i-gotU might even be sufficient, i have a speedo to tell me speed and distance as i'm going). But specifically, between the Bryton and Garmin, which would be best?From my googling it appears both will do what i want, but are there any problems i should be aware of?

When man invented the bicycle he reached the peak of his attainments- Elizabeth West.

Bryton has one big advantage over the Garmin, in that it supports ANT+ for HRM and cadence/speed sensors (Garmin has no ANT+). In particular if you are planning on using for MTBing, then getting a speed sensor add-on can result in much more accurate distances for rides (GPS tends to cut off corners of single track and thus reduces total ride distance by up to 5%).

Uploading to Strava is a one-step process for Garmin but a 2-step process for Bryton (not a big deal). There are rumours of a brwoser plugin for Bryton which will rectify this.

FYI I have a Garmin 500, so don't have actual experience with either but I did research them both when trying decide what to get.

I just bought the Garmin 200 for pretty much the reasons you state. Looking at the Bryton it has the advantage of being able to upgrade to use HR and cadence sensors but the downside is that the Bryton firmware is a closed shop (compared to the Garmin). Also the Bryton interface is clunky by comparison to the Garmin experience.

Ultimately the Garmin is not a significantly better tool but the user experience is....

The one difficulty I have had with the Garmin is its attitude to laps. I can see why Strava has become so popular with its KOM segments because this is a functionality that Garmin Connect just doesn't have - but GC is essential if one has regular training courses (because Strava is not very helpful in this respect)....so the upshot is that you need to use the same data on two different websites to get the most reward. Fortunately, the upload and update takes only seconds on either site.

ANT+ is the wireless standard used for connecting speed/ cadence sensors, HRM, power meters. It means you don't need sensors from a particular company, you can choose from all available ANT+ sensors. You don't need sensors, they will use GPS data for speed & distance, but will be more accurate, particularly in the bush or CBDs with lots of high rises.

Considering I ride my track bike everywhere, I had no need for the cadence sensor - it's fixed, and I know the speed/cadence ratio for my gearing... and I don't need a HRM to tell me when I am in the pain box.

I have a few mates with Garmin 500's... One uses HRM, Cadence Sensor etc, and the other doesn't. Having the ambient temp feature is a nice touch though - but again, I know when it's effin hot/cold lol!

Bryton say's that they're compatible with Macs but it's "kinda" compatible. Whenever you connect the device an error message comes up that you have to drag off to the side because if you choose any of the options you run the risk of the Mac refusing to talk to the GPS. Then there is the mandatory software. Again, kinda compatible as it frequently crashes.

The USB cable is annoyingly short.

The connection between the GPS and the computer is unique and I've had to have mine replaced as it wouldn't clip in properly.

The connections from the HRM to the HRM strap broke today. I don't know if it's good or not but mine lasted 7 months.

I recently purchased a Garmin 200 and so far have been very happy with it! Question for anyone who might know. When I do a climb with a mate (he uses the iphone strava app) His always seems to record more meters climbed. For example we did Mt Cootha this morning the Garmin on Strava says I did 288m and my mates iphone recorded it as 355m.

Hammo wrote:I recently purchased a Garmin 200 and so far have been very happy with it! Question for anyone who might know. When I do a climb with a mate (he uses the iphone strava app) His always seems to record more meters climbed. For example we did Mt Cootha this morning the Garmin on Strava says I did 288m and my mates iphone recorded it as 355m.

Anyone know which is more accurate?

Both will be fairly inaccurate as neither have a Barometric altimeter and only rely on GPS for elevation. That said, Garmin Connect has a elevation correction function I believe, that should give a more accurate reflection of elevation.

I looked at them both and chose the Garmin 200. I've been really happy with it. I use the Garmin Connect site and Strava. It's such a simple thing to use. I got it really quite cheap. I'd suggest it as a good buy.

I ended up getting a Bryton, one of the main reasons being my preferred LBS stocked it so i knew i would get good service if there were any issues.So far i'm happy with it, the only issues i've had have been with the Bryton website, i've found it very annoying to use. As an example, although it has a button for uploading to strava, in my case it just won't work, so i have to save the file to my computer as a GPX and then manually upload it to Strava. First world problem yes but it's little things that make the difference between a satisfactory product and a good one.

When man invented the bicycle he reached the peak of his attainments- Elizabeth West.

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